1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to steam distillation and apparatus associated therewith to rapidly separate water from the distilled solvent.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Steam distillation apparatus for recycling various solvents which are immiscible in water is well known. Devices for separating water from the distilled solvent are also well known. One such separation device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,692,467 to Durr et al. While such devices perform admirably for the solvent for which they were designed, they are not appropriate for use with both solvents which are heavier than water and solvents which are lighter than water. Since the materials used in manufacturing such devices are high quality stainless steel, the cost of a separate water separator for a second type of solvent is quite high.
Typically in the prior art, different distillation units were designed and stocked to accommodate different solvents. This not only presented inventory problems, but also limited the versatility of the products sold to the customers.